Batterson facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted

During the corruption trial of former Orange County Expressway Authority board member Scott Batterson on Tuesday, a key witness accused Batterson of offering him a multimillion-dollar contract if some of Batterson's hand-picked business associates could be part of the team.

At a Baldwin Park sports bar last year, Mark Callahan, the client services manager for a local engineering firm that did work for the Expressway Authority, testified that newly appointed board member Batterson made it clear he would soon be chairman and he would control a three-vote majority including his handpicked appointee Marco Pena.

"Marco was 'his boy,' was the terminology he used," Callahan said.

With that political clout, Callahan said Batterson told him he could control votes on lucrative contracts like the Expressway Authority's highly coveted General Consulting contract worth $5 million in business a year.

AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER, MARIA GODINEZ CASTILLO WAS HIT BY THE GUNFIRE. TODAY A FORMER ORLANDO COUNTY BOARD MEMBER SCOTT BATTER SON. A KEY WITNESS ACCUSED HIM OF OFFERING HIM A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT IF SOME BATTERSON'S HAND PICKED BUSINESS ASSOCIATES COULD BE PART OF THE TEAM. THIS WITNESS SAYS BATTERSON CLAIMED HE WOULD SOON BE BOARD CHAIRMAN AND HAD THE VOTES TO DO WHAT HE WANTED. THAT'S RIGHT, JIM. IN FACT, THIS VERY KEY STATE WITNESS SAID IN THE 30 YEARS HE HAD DONE BUSINESS WITH THE EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY, HE HAD NEVER HAD A CONVERSATION LIKE THAT WITH A PUBLIC SERVANT. IF CONVICTED, BATTERSON COULD FACE UP TO 30 YEAR IN PRISON. VERY BOLD AND CONFIDENT. PUFFED UP ALMOST REALLY. JUST, YOU KNOW,I WILL BE CHAIRMAN. IN A BALDWIN PARK SPORTS BAR LAST YEAR, MARK CALLAGHAN, THE CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER FOR A LOCAL ENGINEERING FIRM THAT DID WORK FOR THE EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY, TESTIFIED TODAY THAT NEWLY APPOINTED BOARD MEMBER SCOTT BATTERSON MADE IT CLEAR HE WOULD SOON BE CHAIRMAN. AND HE WOULD CONTROL A THREE-VOTE MAJORITY INCLUDING HIS HAND PICKED APPOINTEE MARCO PENA. MARCO WAS HIS BOY WAS THE TERMINOLOGY THAT I RECALL HE USED. WITH THAT POLITICAL CLOUT CALLAGHAN SAYS BATTERSON TOLD HIM HE WOULD CONTROL VOTES ON LUCRATIVE CONTRACTS LIKE THE EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY'S HIGHLY COVETED GENERAL CONSULTING CONTRACT WORTH $5 MILLION IN BUSINESS A YEAR TO A FIRM THAT XEETD WITH CALLAGHAN'S. IN RETURN, CALLAGHAN TESTIFIED, BATTERSON WANTED SOME OF HIS HAND PICKED PEOPLE TO BE PART OF THE TEAM. AS THE JURY PANEL OF FOUR MEN AND FOUR WOMEN LISTENED CLOSELY AND TOOK NOTES, THE PROSECUTION ASKED CALLAGHAN IF HE HAD EVER HAD THAT KIND OF CONVERSATION WITH A BOARD MEMBER PREVIOUSLY. IN MY 30-PLUS YEARS AS AN ENGINEER, I'VE NEVER HAD A PUBLIC SERVANT COME UP TO ME AND OFFER ME A CONTRACT. AND I ASSUME WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ADDITIONAL THINGS HERE. BUT YES IT WAS VERY UNIQUE. VERY UNIQUE. VERY OUT OF CHARACTER. ON CROSS-EXAMINATION, CALLAGHAN DID SAY THAT BATTERSON UNDERSTOOD AND SAID THAT THESE WERE JUST PEOPLE HE SUGGESTED TO BE ON THE TEAM AND THEY WOULD NEED TO BE VETTED AND CHECKED OUT TO SEE IF THEY QUALIFIED. JUST IN THE LAST HALF-HOUR OR SO, THE STATE HAS RESTED ITS CASE. AND BATTERSON'S DEFENSE IS ARGUING FOR A JUDGMENT OF ACQUITTAL. WE'LL HAVE AN UPDATE IN OUR NEXT HOUR.